You'd probably do just about anything when you’re pregnant to keep your baby from developing food allergies. Avoid shrimp? Check. Stay away from eggs? No problem. Skip soy? Consider it done. Unfortunately, the advice on how to prevent food allergies keeps changing. So where does that leave you if someone offers you a peanut butter cookie?

When I found out I was expecting a baby in the fall of 2008, I remember feeling so thrilled and terrified at the same time. I was beginning the Traditional Authentic Pilates (TAP) certification program and was now faced with a difficult and unique set of problems: How would I complete such a physically and mentally intensive program with a pregnancy? How would I stay connected to my own body enough to dictate movements to clients?

With your due date finally just around the corner, you’re eager to hold that baby in your arms—and maybe nervous about giving birth, too. You enter the third trimester filled with energy, but as your body continues to grow and change, you may start to feel tired and experience new aches and pains. How much bigger can I get? you wonder. Let’s face it: You get a tad tired of being pregnant. But there are plenty of things to do to keep your mind off of your expanding figure and the annoyances that come with it. Just follow our guide to the exciting last third of pregnancy, weeks 29–40.

When Christina Carey, 40, imagined her baby’s birth, she pictured her husband by her side, lovingly supporting her throughout labor and delivery. But when showtime arrived, she was surprised to see an entirely different side of him.

Before your baby is even born, it is very likely that you will need to make a decision about when, or if, you will be returning to work. Lots of moms return to work full time, but others opt for a part-time schedule, some work from home, and some forgo work altogether and become stay-at-home moms.

An estimated 800 fetuses die each year in the United States when their mothers are involved in vehicle accidents, according to federal statistics. That's eight times as many babies and children up to age 4 who are killed in crashes.

1. Get to know yourself Think about what makes you tick and what you really want. Are you skeptical or respectful of the medical establishment? Ask yourself, if you had no constraints, how would you want to give birth? Does one option make you say: “Yes! That makes total sense!” Do others make you squirm and think: “Yikes! I would never do that in a million years.” Your gut reaction tells you which choice is right for you.

Paying attention to a fetus’s movements in utero has been linked with a decrease in stillbirth. That’s why First Candle, the nonprofit group behind the Back to Sleep SIDS-prevention campaign, encourages women to monitor or chart their babies’ kicks beginning in the 28th week of pregnancy.

You've likely heard that breastfeeding can confer some pretty impressive benefits to your baby—reduced ear infections and asthma, maybe even a bump in IQ among them. Turns out there are even more perks for your little one, not to mention for you, society and even Mother Earth.